Kioa Island was bought in 1946 by the people of Vaitupu, an island in the nation of Tuvalu, with money earned from American Armed Forces during WWII and settled October 26, 1947 by 37 original settlers. The Tuvaluans brought with them only their culture, religion, and lifestyle - which have been preserved and are still in tact today.

Kioa Island is a Polynesian community in the midst of a Melanesian country. Visiting Kioa will feel like you have left Fiji and traveled approximately 1000 kilometers north to the islands of Tuvalu.

"In the year 1947 at 2pm on a Sunday afternoon in October, a ship by its maiden name the Avahou anchored on the beautiful sheltered waters of Salia bay. A great silence befell all those on board as the tired and weary Polynesian islanders scrambled into life boats to complete the last leg of the journey. As they set foot on solid ground, there was no one to welcome them - only the strange sounds uttered by birds on this uninhabited island as the only greetings offered for these lone travelers.

As the ship heaved its anchor and sailed away, the settlers finally realized they are now left alone in a foreign country faraway from their homeland. The constant memories of their home country are the only realities that linked them to the past. What awaited them were difficulties encountered in the early years of relocation and yet a hope for a better future."